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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Geesh - what took me so long?!All I had to do was measure, trim batting and backing, and press the backing to the front and the binding is done. This poor ol' thing has been sitting around forever.Unlike lots of quilts, this one looks better in the photo than it does in person. It will definitely be a picnic or game quilt. A finish is a finish and my used numbers reeeeaal-llly needed a boost. It measures 81x81 so that's 16.313 yards out (7.25 yds backing, 9.06 front scraps (backing x 1.25). The yardage for my Star Surround QAL pillow tops is already in the "used" column. Last night, while DH and DS were camping with the cub scouts, I finally finished binding them.I had thoughts of getting all kinds of sewing done but then I realized that I was tired. The house was so quiet. I had to stream Foyle's War from last week - love that show and abhor interruptions when I'm watching some quality television, since it is such a rarity these days.Before enjoying the house to myself, which has not happened in 6 years btw, quilty friend Karen and I went to a local quilt show, a halloween shop, and out to dinner. What fun to have adult female conversation and to have someone cook a meal and wait on me!And, the temps are back to normal after a bit of rain overnight, but not so much to make the campers miserable. I can't wait to put on a pair of jeans and a jacket!What made you smile this week?Used this week: 16.313Used YTD: 91.348Added this week: 0Gifted this week: 0Added YTD: 100.25Net used YTD: -8.902Check out some more stash reports at Judy's Patchwork Times.Have a great week!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Our weather was so lovely this weekend - I didn't sew a stitch! Although, I did buy fabric for Easy Street's border.

What do you think? Shall I put in a teeny white border between the green and the red?Quilty friend Charla shared some of her accidental Paper Pieces purchase with me. The white piece is a 3/4" hexie and the tan piece is a 1/4" hexies - tiiiiiiiiny!

I tried using thread to baste a few but that didn't work. The glue pen is perfect and now I'll be saving even smaller pieces of scraps!

Used this week: 0Used YTD: 75.035Added this week: 1.5Gifted this week:Added YTD: 100.25Net used YTD: -25.215Check out some more stash reports at Judy's Patchwork Times.Have a great week!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Yup - little by little this week some of my quilting mojo returned, with effort. DH came home from work early on Thursday and I descended the stairs to the sewing corner in hopes of not being disturbed after a few false starts, courtesy of the kids out of school early that day. Then, I continued after dinner.I decided that I just had to finish my pillow tops for the Star Surround QAL. We're supposed to link up tomorrow. Sometimes a deadline is what I need. Otherwise, who cares when/if these UFOs get done, right?

Sew, I squared, sandwiched, and FM quilted. I try to do the "fancy" stuff but find that I do lines better than anything else and they enhanced the stars. I really don't like my meandering but I did it as a filler on the edges. I put in the hidden zippers (sew easy with this tut) and put the pillows together using every last bit of that yard of brown background. Today I will bind them (check out this tut from Jaybird) and they will be done. Binding a pillow adds a bit of pizzazz.

This weekend our quilty friends had a retreat at Gateway Quilts and Stuff Retreat Center, run by designer Toby Lischko. I opted to only spend the day yesterday and have two fabulous meals cooked by Toby. She even bakes fresh bread for guests - yum!Toby gave us each a FQ at our meals yesterday. And, I raided her scrap bin. Luckily, Joyce wanted some I Spy fabrics so I had a mission other than stash enhancing while digging through the goodies.While there I managed to finish my Easy Street blocks - WooHoo! I've been looking forward to finishing this one.It's the most tedious quilt I've ever done with all those pieces! And, I've been anxious to see how my colors work out and to decide what, if anything, to do about borders. This UFO may not stay in pieces long, it just may get bumped to the front of the line.

Used this week: 1.75Used YTD: 75.035Added this week: 0Gifted this week: 0.75Added YTD: 98.75Net used YTD: -23.715Check out some more stash reports at Judy's Patchwork Times.Here's an article from the UK that confirms what we all know about the benefits of quilting.Have a great week!

Monday, September 9, 2013

A funk! That's the only thing that describes my attitude these days, especially to my fabric and projects. Can you believe that I received 5 yards of swap fabric this these past two weeks and didn't feel the thrill of having new fabric in the house?

Flickr Writing Surface swap (24 F8s)

I didn't even rush into the house and open the packages! One sat on a table for about an hour! Aye, aye, aye - what's wrong with me? Hopefully, this too shall pass.

In trying rid myself of the "blahhs," I decided to give this mega card wallet a try. It holds 38 cards!Sew Can She has a daily newsletter and an archive of free pattern links. The instructions were easy and after cutting it and pressing the pieces, it went together quickly.

However, I would suggest having a credit card ready to make sure all the spaces are the right size. So glad I thought to do this before stitching - wheww!So, to the numbers that definitely need a finish:Used this week: 0.375Used YTD: 73.285Added this week: 5 (swaps in)Gifted this week: 0Added YTD: 98Net used YTD: -24.715Check out some more stash reports at Judy's Patchwork Times.Have a great week!

Welcome

This is where I talk about what's going on in my little corner of the world. Much of my ramblings focus on my hobby - quilting, or on my family. It is also a forum to discuss the differences in lifestyle and attitudes that I observe between growing up in a rural area and moving to the 'burbs in a major metropolitan area.